Former Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Davis Nathan Chelogoi has been sentenced to three years in prison over a disputed KSh1.35 billion parcel of land in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.
Milimani Chief Magistrate Dolphina Alego handed down the sentence on Monday, November 2, following Chelogoi’s conviction on five counts linked to the controversial land ownership dispute.
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning the former provincial administrator will serve a total of three years in prison. The court also denied him the option of paying a fine.
The case revolves around a 7.39-hectare parcel of land along Lower Kabete Road, which businessmen Ashok Rupshi Shah and Hitenkumar Amritlal Raja claimed to have purchased in January 2007 for approximately KSh33 million.
Chelogoi, however, maintained that former President Daniel arap Moi allocated him the property in January 1995 at a cost of KSh2.48 million.
In its October 16 judgment, the court found Chelogoi guilty of conspiracy to defraud, forcible detainer, two counts of forgery and uttering a forged document.
The prosecution presented 19 witnesses, including land officials and forensic document examiners, to support its case.
One of the witnesses, land registrar Paulina Achieng Pesa, denied signing or stamping documents presented to support Chelogoi’s ownership claim, describing the signature and stamp attributed to her as forged.
The court also directed the Chief Land Registrar to cancel parallel title deeds and registration details issued over the disputed property.
Chelogoi’s co-accused, former Assistant Deputy Director of Lands Administration Andrew Aseri Kirungu, was acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence against him.